Omen of the Stars, The Fourth Apprentice
by InvaderDib28
Summary: Dovekit and Ivykit kin of Firestar are whirled into a web of mysterious when one has an ominous dream that reveals she is the third cat of the prophecy along with Lionblaze and Jayfeather. This is my first story, so R&R!
1. Prologue

Few stars were visible in the night sky, twinkling dully, and the moors below seemed even darker since the moon vanished like it did every once in a while. A dark gray tom wandered the hills of the moor, his blue eyes full of shame and sorrow. He sat upon the top of a hill, sighed, and stared at Silverpelt. "Why, StarClan?" he asked. "Why have you burdoned me with this? My life is ruined." Pain seared him like the claws of an enemy cat along with regret. _Regret for what? None of this was _my _fault! _The tom gazed out among the hills, a sight that told him that this was where he belonged, but they no longer spoke to him. Suddenly, he spotted something black on the shore of the lake. Curiousity replaced his agony, and he got to his paws and padded down the hill toward the black object. As he neared it, he recognized it as a black cat, covered with scars, lying on the rocky shore. He cautiously inched toward it, then gasped in shock as he recognized who it was. "What are you doing here?" he snarled. The she-cat slowly turned her head, and the tom caught his breath when he saw her face. Her ear was now V shaped and scars blemished her face, including three scars that ran through her right eye, preventing it from opening, and a gap of skin sat near the end of her tail. Her green eye was full of wickedness.

"I thought I should rest after having a tunnel collapse on me and having to find my way out. Huh, figures. I end up here, in WindClan territory." she answered.

"You dare show your face to me again! Have you know idea what you've done?" the dark tom challenged.

"I have quite a good idea what I did, thank you. But you deserve it, Crowfeather."

Crowfeather bared his teeth in a snarl. "I deserve _nothing_! I didn't ask for kits from anyone other than my true mate, Nightcloud!"

"Well, if you're together with your mate and kits, then what is so wrong?"

"I never said I was with them. They think I'm a traitor, all of my Clan thinks I'm a traitor! I was just regaining my trust back, and now I lost it again! And it's all your fault." Crowfeather snarled. "Give me one reason why I shouldn't kill you right now."

"I don't need to give you a reason. Go ahead, fine, kill me. See if I care." the black she-cat answered calmly. Crowfeather growled, his brain ordering him to deliver a fatal strike, but some voice inside of him protested. _What good will let your anger out of her? You'll be wasting your energy, fool! _

"I don't need to waste my time on you. Get out of my territory!" he growled.

"I won't be here by dawn. Just let me rest." the she-cat meowed, closing her eye. Crowfeather hesitated, then nodded.

"Very well." he agreed, and turned, padding off, but stopped once, looking back at her. "Look what you've become, Hollyleaf," he whispered, too low for her to hear, and padded up the hill back to his Clan. Hollyleaf lay, sighing, drifting into sleep. Dream were the only safe place she could hide. Crowfeather padded up the hill back to his home, only to meet his mother, Ashfoot, face to face. Her eyes stared at him in sorrow, yet no shame lie within. "Ashfoot," he greeted, dipping his head.

"Crowfeather," she began. "Do you believe it's right to abandon your kits?"

Crowfeather stared at her in bewilderment. "They're not my kits," he meowed, shaking away the surprise and replacing it with stubbornness.

"Yes they are, Crowfeather. You can't hide from the truth forever. The kits no longer have a mother. . .or a father." Ashfoot continued.

Shock hit Crowfeather like a strong blow. "Are you asking me to abandon my loyalty for my Clan?"

"No, I just wanted to know more. Do honestly care nothing for them, Crowfeather? Do you feel good about abandoning them in their times of need?"

Crowfeather stared at her, unsure what to say, and she stared back with intense sorrow. _I don't care for them, not at all! _he wanted to tell her, but the words couldn't escape his jaws. Ashfoot turned and began to pad away.

"Good night, Crowfeather." she mewed, not looking back. Crow stay on the hill, staring after her, mulling over what had just happened. He looked back at Hollyleaf, who lay sleeping on the shore, the she-cat who had turned evil for unknown reasons to him. Then he turned back and began to head up the hill, his mind whirling with questions. . .yet nowhere in his mind lurked the answers.


	2. The Forest

The warm sun of early newleaf shed its warmth upon the cats of ThunderClan. The hollow was alive with warrior going out on patrols and returning with prey, apprentices playfight outside their den, and elders lying out in the sun to warm their pelts. Outside the nursery, a fluffy pale gray she-cat leaped for a bright-winged butterfly, attempting to catch it, but landing on her paws gracefully when she failed to grasp it in her paws. Her green eyes stared only at the beautiful flying creature, and as she dashed after it, she had no idea she was heading straight toward Lionblaze, and ran straight into him. Waked from her hunt, she let the butterfly escape into the sky, and stared up at her kin. "Sorry, Lionblaze!" she apologized.

Before Lionblaze could reply, Whitewing yowled out for her. "Dovekit, get back here!" she called strictly.

"It's alright. You better get back to your mother though before she claws your ears off." Lionblaze joked.

"Dovekit, get ba – Ivykit?" Whitewing turned to see her other daughter was no longer beside her. Dovekit looked around for her sister, but the tabby-and-white she-kit was nowhere in sight. Suddenly, Lionblaze jumped, yowling in surprise, his golden fur bristling. Ivykit had his tail in her claws and mouth.

"Ivykit!" he scolded.

"Ivykit, get back here and leave Lionblaze alone!" Whitewing ordered.

"Sorry," Ivykit meowed, released the tom's tail from her grasp. "I was just really bored!"

"Come on, Ivykit." Dovekit mewed before Lionblaze could get even more angry. "Bye, Lionblaze!" The two young she-cats padded up to their mother. Her green were stern.

"What did I tell you two about wandering off?" she asked, her voice still strict, but calmer now.

"Um. . .not to do it?" Ivykit answered before Dovekit could. Dovekit rolled her eyes. Ivykit never listened to rules. . .or followed them.

"Correct. I don't want you two to bother the other warriors, they have jobs to do." Whitewing started to clean Ivykit's fur, her tail keeping Ivykit from escaped. "Or to get yourselves hurt."

"We're sorry," Dovekit apologized.

"It's alright, you only wandered across the camp." Whitewing meowed, sitting upright and leaving Ivykit alone. She sighed. "I guess I can't be ordering you around as much since you're getting older."

"They grew fast." Dovekit turned her head to see Birchfall padding up to them. His warm gaze filled Dovekit with pride. "I know you two will be amazing warriors."

"We will!" Dovekit meowed confidently, but she looked at Ivykit, she saw her sister's green eyes were full of nervousy and worry, something that took Dovekit off guard. She rarely saw Ivykit worried, Ivykit was too proud and brave. But it was clear in her eyes, though Birchfall nor Whitewing seemed to notice. Dovekit leaped at her sister, hoping to distract her from her worries, and Ivykit gladly engaged in a playfight. Their parents watched them for a few moments, then Whitewing padded over to talk with Daisy and Birchfall went on a patrol with Brambleclaw. When the kits were tired, they lay down, exhausted from play. But Dovekit noticed Ivykit staring at the forest at the top of the hollow with fascination and curiosity. "I wonder what's in the forest." she meowed. "I bet it's amazing there!" Dovekit began to grow uneasy with Ivykit's fascination.

"Yeah," she answered briefly.

"We should explore!" Ivykit whispered to her.

"What? No, we shouldn't, that's a bad idea. It's dangerous out there."

"Oh, please, I laugh in the face of danger. Come on, we'll go through the dirtplace tunnel!" Ivykit got to her paws, and before Dovekit could protest, the tabby-and-white she-cat dashed off, careful to stay away from her mother's eye. Dovekit raced after her, following her through the dirtplace tunnel with unease. _This can't be good! _she thought, plunging into the forest after her sister. Ivykit slowed to stare at the trees that towered over them and the green grass and healthy undergrowth below. Dovekit could hear the scuttle of prey among the forest floor. "Wow," Ivykit meowed, staring in awe.

"Ivykit, we shouldn't be doing this!" Dovekit warned.

"Oh, come on, Dovekit, have a little fun!"

But Dovekit wasn't sure she could when she sensed so many dangers lurked in the forest, no matter how safe it appeared. She followed her sister further away from the camp, which worried Dovekit a little_. What if we can't find our way back home_? she thought. But Ivykit didn't seem to have a care or worry as she fearlessly trekked on, head and tail held high. It wasn't long until they reached an empty path, wider than ones left by cats. "It's a thunderpath!" Dovekit meowed, remembering when she heard stories of monsters that lurked upon it.

"Relax, nothing's coming." Ivykit assured her, looking both ways before she padded across. She made to the other side easily and safely. "Come on!" Ivykit urged, beckoning Dovekit with her tail. Dovekit cautiously padded across, safely making it over to her sister and following her further. Suddenly, Ivykit stopped. "Whoa," she meowed. Dovekit walked up beside her to see crumbling walls of an old twolegnest, with brambles strung around it. Ivykit padded up to it.

"Ivykit!" Dovekit hissed.

"Come on!" was Ivykit's answered. Dovekit growled in frustration and followed her sister up to it. Ivykit was smelling the crumpling wall. "It smells yucky!" she reported, stumbling back a few steps.

"This must be a twolegnest, like the one Purdy was telling us about!" Dovekit meowed.

"But there's no twolegs in it," Ivykit answered, peering in.

"I wonder why they left it."

"Hey, what are you doing here?" snarled a loud voice. Dovekit looked up to see three adult cats standing on the wall. The one who had spoken was a muscular brown-and-white tom with a torn ear. With him was a dark brown tabby tom and a white she-cat. The she-cat was the only one not bristling. The cats leaped down from the wall and padded up to the kits. Dovekit saw they were well fed, and smelled of twolegs. As they stared in horror at the huge cats, Dovekit knew her and her sister won't survive this one_. Help, ThunderClan, please help_!


End file.
